Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois condemned racism and homophobia as equally unacceptable after Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni was suspended for making racist comments against Vinicius Jr during a Champions League match last week.
UEFA provisionally suspended Prestianni for one match on Monday after Argentine Prestianni was accused of insulting Vinicius during Real’s 1-0 win in the first leg in Lisbon.
Prestianni denied the accusation and said the Brazilian had misheard him, while Real player Aurelien Tchouameni said the Argentinian told him he was not calling Vinicius a «monkey» but directed a homophobic remark at him.
«It is just as serious because they are homophobic insults… I also saw the images from the Benfica stands during the match and I find it regrettable to see that in a stadium,» Courtois told reporters on Tuesday, referring to fans making monkey gestures.
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‘You may like a player more or less, but making those gestures is shameful… I didn’t see if they said anything about chasing their fans who made those monkey gestures.
«But with everything that’s happened, there are a lot of things that haven’t been done right. I think racism and homophobia – all these things – we simply cannot accept and the insult is just as serious.»
‘ANTI-RACISM PROTOCOLS ARE GETTING BETTER’
UEFA rules state that “any person or entity who insults the human dignity of a person” on grounds such as sexual orientation may receive a suspension of at least ten matches.
The referee stopped the match 11 minutes after Vinicius complained and Courtois said anti-racism protocols were improving.
«Ultimately the problem is that at that moment it was Vinicius who decided that we were going to play again. If Vini had said no and couldn’t continue, then I think as a team we would have taken a position there,» Courtois added.
“Then the other things that happened in the stands are obviously reasons for me to stop a match and throw those people out.
“If it happens right in front of someone who is two meters away – a security guard at the Benfica Stadium – then that person should take action and call the authorities… I think we can continue to improve and I think as a society we should also stop being so foolish.”
Published on February 24, 2026
